Load-gripping attachment of lifts

ABSTRACT

A load-gripping attachment for lowering small craft from the mother ship and lifting them back onto the latter ship comprising a body having a longitudinal axis. A liner is installed in the body for movement along the longitudinal axis of the body. Side ports are provided in the liner and swivelling thrust elements are mounted in the liner and located in the side ports of the liner. Side ports are also provided in the body and are intended for receiving the swivelling thrust elements when the liner is moved by the rod head of the small craft. The rod head enters the liner in the process of gripping operation.

0 United States Patent [151 3,661,416

Bukarkin et al. 5] ay 9, 1972 54] LOAD-GRIPPING ATTACHMENT OF 3,081,1223/1963 Jungersen ....294/83 R LIFTS 2,954,258 9/1960 Cook ..294/l02 [72]Inventors: Boris Antonovich Bultarkin, ulitsa Frunze P i E i C, Bl kValery NiROhEVIQh Kovalev, ulltsa Assistant Examiner-Johnny D. Cherry ayi both of Nlkolaev Attorney-Waters, Roditi, Schwartz & Nissen [22]Filed: Mar. 31, 1971 ABSTRACT [21] Appl. No.: 129,978

A load-gripping attachment for lowering small craft from the Related US.Application Data mother ship and lifting them back onto the latter shipcomprising a body having a longitudinal axis. A liner is installed inthe [63] 555311 22 of 783321 [968 body for movement along thelongitudinal axis of the body.

Side ports are provided in the liner and swivelling thrust ele- 52 .S. l..294 8 94 7 mems are mounted in the liner and located in the side pomof E U C l 2 the liner. Side ports are also provided in the body and arein [58] Field of Search 97 862 tended for receiving the swivellingthrust elements when the 294/8651 1. 2 liner is moved by the rod head ofthe small craft. The rod head i enters the liner in the process ofgripping operation. [56] References 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 3,445,133 5/1969 Reischl ..294/83 R PATENTEDMAY 9 m23,661,416

sum 1 [1F 2 LOAD-GRIPPING ATTACHMENT F LIFTS This is a continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 783,221, tiled Dec. 12, l968,now abandoned.

The present invention relates to load-gripping attachments for lifts.

The invention can be used most effectively for slinging and unslingingsmall sea craft when they are lowered from the mother ship and liftedonto her.

In the known load-gripping attachments for lifts their bodiesincorporate pivoted swivelling thrust elements interacting with thegripped device on the load being lifted and resting on the body of theload-gripping attachment.

These attachments fail to ensure reliable slinging of the small craftwhen the latter are being lowered from the mother ship and lifted ontoher in rough weather.

Moreover, these attachments have to be disconnected from the handledload manually.

An object of the present invention consists in providing a load-grippingattachment, which would ensure reliable slinging of the lifted loads,especially while lowering and lifting small sea craft onto the mothership in rough weather and would allow mechanization of disconnecting theattachment from the load being lifted.

In accordance with this object the invention relates to loadgrippingattachment, mainly for lowering and lifting small sea craft onto themother ship, the body of said attachment being provided with swivellingthrust elements, interacting with the gripped head of the load-carryingrod. According to the invention, the body of the attachment has a linerinstalled so as to be movable along its longitudinal axis, said linerbeing provided with side ports for accommodating swivelling thrustelements mounted on it. The body has also side ports intended forsinking in them the swivelling thrust elements when the liner is movedby the head of the load-carrying rod, said head entering the liner inthe course of gripping the load.

It is practicable to load the liner with a spring in the direction ofits movement for quicker lowering to the initial position.

It is also practicable to install in the body a retainer which wouldhold the liner when the swivelling thrust elements are sunk into it.

The retainer can be made in the form of a spring-loaded rod one end ofwhich interacts with the liner while the other end carries an eccentricwith a handle.

- The load-gripping attachment realized in compliance with the presentinvention ensures reliability and safety and reduces labor involved inslinging and unslinging the small sea craft.

Given below is a description of an embodiment of this invention withreference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a general view of the load-gripping attachment of liftsaccording to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along line Ill-III of FIG. 2.

A bracket 1 (FIG. 1) has load pulleys 3 installed on axles 2. Passingaround said pulleys are loading ropes 4 which connect the bracket 1 withthe lift (omitted in the drawing).

Installed in the lower part of the bracket 1 on axles 5 is aload-gripping attachment 6 interacting with the head of a rod 8installed on the deck of the craft 7 beinglifted (the drawing shows partof the deck of the craft being lifted). A guide rope 9 is passed throughthe load-gripping attachment 6 and the bracket 1 and connected manuallyto the rod 8.

Secured in the bracket 1 are guide rollers 10 and 11 (FIG. 2) for movingthe bracket together with the attachment 6 over the guide rope 9 whilethe craft 7 is being slung and unslung.

The guide rope 9 is connected to an automatic winch (not shown in thedrawing) mounted on the mother ship and intended to keep the guide rope9 constantly taut while the small craft 7 is being lifted and lowered inrough weather.

The load-gripping attachment 6 has a body 12 with three ports 13 in itslower part. A liner 14 is installed inside the body 12 with a provisionfor movement with relation to its longitudinal axis. The lower part ofsaid liner also has three ports 15. The width of the ports 13 and 15 areequal. The liner 14 is of a round crosssection, though it can be of anyother shape.

Axles 16 are secured in the lower part of the liner 14. These axlescarry swivelling thrust elements 17 accommodated both in the ports 15and ports 13.

The lower sides of the ports 13 serve as guiding and supporting surfacesfor the thrust elements 17 in the course of operation of theload-gripping attachment 6.

The liner 14 is held in the body 12 by a collar 18 secured in the lowerpart of the body 12; said collar also directs the head of the rod 8 intothe attachment 6.

A spring 19 installed between the body 12 and the upper part of theliner 14 keeps the latter in the lower position.

When the liner 14 is in the upper position, the thrust elements 17 areturned in the ports 13 and 15 and do not protrude into the inner spaceof the liner l4, and the latter is locked by means of stop 20accommodated in the body 12.

The stop 20 has a spring-loaded rod 21 one end of which is provided withan eccentric 22 with a handle 23 while the other end interacts with theliner 14 which has a special hole 24 receiving the rod 21.

The load-gripping attachment of the lifts operates as follows.

The guide rope 9 is lowered by the automatic winch from the mother shipand connected to the lifting rod 8, fastened to the deck of the craft 7being lifted.

The guide rope 9 is kept constantly taut while the craft 7 is beinglifted or lowered.

When the craft 7 is being lifted, the handle 23 of the retainer 20 isshifted to the upper position, in which the rod 21 is sunk into the body12.

Then the bracket 1 is lowered on loading ropes 4 over the taut guiderope 9 until the load-gripping attachment 6 comes to bear against thehead of the rod 8.

The head of the rod 8 then shifts upwards the spring-loaded liner l4 andforces ofi the swivelling thrust elements 17 sinking them into the ports13 of the body 12 (shown by dotted lines in FIG. 2).

Sinking into the ports 13, the swivelling thrust elements 17 release thehead of the rod 8 until it bears against the upper part of the innersurface of the liner 14.

As soon as the head of the rod 8 bears against the liner l4 and theloading ropes 4 become slack, the bracket 1 begins to be lifted.

When the bracket 1 is being lifted, the body 12, also going upwards,moves and turns the swivelling elements 17 thereby locking the head ofthe rod 8 in the load-gripping attachment 6 While the craft 7 is beinglowered on water, the handle 23 of the retainer 20 is shifted to thelower position in which the spring-loaded rod 21 bears against the liner14.

As soon as the craft 7 touches water, the loading ropes 4 slacken andthe bracket 1 with the pulleys 3 and the attachment 6 compress by theirweight the spring 19 until the liner 14 comes to a stop in the body 12in which case the rod 21 will enter the hole 24 in the liner 14, lockingit in the upper position. The thrust elements 17, sunk in the ports 13of the body 12 do not interfere with the rod 8 moving freely from theload-gripping attachment 6.

Here begins the lifting of the bracket 1 by the loading ropes 4 to theupper position. When the bracket 1 is lifted, the guide rope 9 ismanually disconnected from the rod 8 and the craft is released from theload-gripping attachment.

The experiments with a pilot specimen of the load-gripping attachment ofthe lifts realized in compliance with the present invention have provedthe efficiency of the attachment in actual sea service while loweringand lifting small fishing craft weighing up to 60 tons in rough weatherup to wind force 7.

The experiments with the attachment of the present invention have shownthat it is reliable, safe, and saves labor in slinging and unslingingthe craft.

In describing the present embodiment of the invention the terms in theirnarrow sense are used for the sake of clarity. However, the invention isnot confined to the narrow sense of the terms used and it will beunderstood that each of said terms embraces all the equivalent elementsfunctioning similarly and employed for the same purpose.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in thedescription, it will be understood that various modifications andchanges within the spirit and scope of the invention may occur to thoseskilled in the art.

These changes and modifications can be resorted to without departingfrom the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined bythe appended claims.

We claim:

1. A load-gripping attachment for lifts comprising a hollow body havingan axis, a cylindrical liner mounted movably along said axis inside saidbody and including a top portion, a load-carrying rod including a headadapted to thrust against said top portion of the liner, said topportion having an opening, a guide rope extending through said openingand secured to the head of the rod and providing for a controlleddirection of movement of the body with the latter approaching said rod;a spring acting between said liner and said body to urge the liner awayfrom said body, said liner having a plurality of ports; thrust elementspivotably mounted on said liner at said ports for interacting with saidhead of the rod; said thrust elements having edges defining a prismaticshape thereof for transferring forces from said head of the rod directlyto said body through two of said edges whose surfaces correspond tosupport surfaces of the body and the head of the rod, said body havingrecesses coinciding with the ports of the liner; said thrust elementsbeing pivotal into said recesses of the body with the liner movingupwards thereon, said liner having an opening adjacent said body, andcontrollable retainer means attached to said body for entering thelatter said opening in said liner to lock the liner to the body.

2. An attachment according to claim 1, in which said controllableretainer means comprises a rod having opposite ends, spring means actingon said rod to urge the same towards said liner, an eccentric on one endof said rod for controlling the axial position of the rod in said body,and a control handle for said eccentric resting upon said body, theother end of said rod entering the opening of the liner when the lineris in an extreme upper position in said body.

3. An attachment according to claim 1 wherein said thrust elements areannularly arranged around said liner.

4. An attachment according to claim 1 wherein said thrust elements arepivoted to said liner at the corners of said thrust elements.

5. An attachment according to claim 4 wherein said thrust elements arequadrangular.

6. An attachment according to claim 1 wherein said support surfaces ofsaid head of the rod and said body face one another and aresubstantially parallel.

i t I k t

1. A load-gripping attachment for lifts comprising a hollow body havingan axis, a cylindrical liner mounted movably along said axis inside saidbody and including a top portion, a loadcarrying rod including a headadapted to thrust against said top portion of the liner, said topportion having an opening, a guide rope extending through said openingand secured to the head of the rod and providing for a controlleddirection of movement of the body with the latter approaching said rod;a spring acting between said liner and said body to urge the liner awayfrom said body, said liner having a plurality of ports; thrust elementspivotably mounted on said liner at said ports for interacting with saidhead of the rod; said thrust elements having edges defining a prismaticshape thereof for transferring forces from said head of the rod directlyto said body through two of said edges whose surfaces correspond tosupport surfaces of the body and the head of the rod, said body havingrecesses coinciding with the ports of the liner; said thrust elementsbeing pivotal into said recesses of the body with the liner movingupwards thereon, said liner having an opening adjacent said body, andcontrollable retainer means attached to said body for entering thelatter said opening in said liner to lock the liner to the body.
 2. Anattachment according to claim 1, in which said controllable retainermeans comprises a rod having opposite ends, spring means acting on saidrod to urge the same towards said liner, an eccentric on one end of saidrod for controlling the axial position of the rod in said body, and acontrol handle for said eccentric resting upon said body, the other endof said rod entering the opening of the liner when the liner is in anextreme upper position in said body.
 3. An attachment according to claim1 wherein said thrust elements are annularly arranged around said liner.4. An attachment according to claim 1 wherein said thrust elements arepivoted to said liner at the corners of said thrust elements.
 5. Anattachment according to Claim 4 wherein said thrust elements arequadrangular.
 6. An attachment according to claim 1 wherein said supportsurfaces of said head of the rod and said body face one another and aresubstantially parallel.